The background description provided here is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
In FIG. 1, a homogeneous sales system includes first and second kiosks 100 and 104 that interface with a backend server 108. The backend server 108 may generate images for display on digital menu boards 112. The images portray items for sale, and may include prices and product images. The kiosks 100 and 104 may be referred to as kiosks, and may be adapted for use by customers.
For more sophisticated users, such as employees of the business, a point of sale terminal 116 may be implemented in communication with the backend server 108. The point of sale terminal 116 may have higher information density created by smaller buttons, fewer or no product images, and more terse text.
Orders can be placed using the kiosks 100 and 104, as well as the point of sale terminal 116. The backend server 108 keeps track of the orders and manages fulfillment of the orders. For example, in a restaurant, the backend server 108 may display orders to employees via a fulfillment management system 120.
Employees responsible for preparing food and assembling orders watch the fulfillment management system 120 for order information. The fulfillment management system 120 may include a printer that prints orders on respective individual slips of paper or on a continuous roll of paper. The fulfillment management system 120 may include an electronic display to display order information, and may include a touchscreen to allow employees to indicate that an order is complete and no longer needs to be displayed. The fulfillment management system 120 may also receive input from a bump bar that causes the next order to be displayed and/or printed, and/or may cause an earlier order to be removed from the display.
The backend server 108 may implement additional functionality, such as inventory control, payment processing, and transaction logging. The backend server 108 stores items available for sale, and can store promotions, such as limited availability items and discounted prices, and operational data, such as hours of operation. This data can be reflected in the digital menu boards 112, and promotional items and prices are displayed in the kiosks 100 and 104 and at the point of sale terminal 116. When an order is placed, for example, at the kiosk 100, a total price (which may include sales tax) as well as an order number may be generated either by the kiosk 100 or by the backend server 108, and displayed to the user of the kiosk 100.